Mitsubishi defends new EV's "acceptable" range against longer-driving rivals

Mitsubishi will finally field a new electric vehicle (EV) in Australia before the end of 2026, and while pricing is still up in the air, it has now been confirmed that it will offer a maximum driving range of 403km.

That figure applies to the range-opening Mitsubishi ASX VR-e LS , measured on the WLTP cycle. The LS is one of three rear-wheel-drive variants in the VR-e range, the others being the Aspire (398km) and the Exceed (380km).

The lineup's flagship is the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive GSR, which has considerably stronger performance but a substantially shorter range claim of 328km. All variants use the same 57.7kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

"From the battery capacity perspective, you look at vehicles in the same segment with a similar battery capacity; they’re getting the same range claimed on the WLTP cycle," Mitsubishi Australia ASX VR-e product strategy manager Tim Clarke told media.

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"In that regard, it’s not behind or in front; it kind of is where it is for that battery size."

However, the ASX VR-e's small electric SUV competitors – primarily the Kia EV3 , alongside the slightly smaller MG 4 EV (technically a hatchback, not an SUV) and the slightly larger BYD Atto 3 Evo and Zeekr X – almost entirely offer greater driving range.

In front-wheel drive configuration, the base EV3 Air Standard Range gets a 58.3kWh battery with 436km of WLTP range, 33km more than the longest-travelling VR-e.

There's also the all-wheel drive GT-Line Long Range, with 559km of range from its 81.4kWh battery. That's considerably more than the smaller-battery VR-e GSR, though its peak power output of 195kW is much lower than the GSR's whopping 342kW.

The MG 4 EV XPower gets closer to the GSR's outputs with 300kW, but it also has a larger 64.0kWh battery and a claimed WLTP driving range of 405km – 77km more than the GSR and marginally more than the VR-e LS.

As for the others, the rear-drive BYD Atto 3 Evo gets a 74.9kWh battery with 510km of WLTP range, and the all-wheel drive Zeekr X gets a 64kWh battery, 415km of range (87km more than the GSR), and the most power of all at 360kW.

Even so, Mr Clarke is confident that the ASX VR-e will be competitive.

"We feel that the range is acceptable, or suitable for Australian consumers when we consider urban commuting in particular, and I think the focus on range – something that we learned from research – is that once people move into the BEV space, the range becomes less of a concern," he said.

"The range is really a primary concern for those who are not experienced with BEV use, because when you adopt a BEV and your behaviours change, you find that you’re doing lots of top-up charging at home, where 90 per cent of charging is done for these types of vehicles. The range only really comes into play when you’re doing long interstate journeys.